Imagined Contact as a Means of Improving Attitudes towards People with Learning Disabilities and Reducing Intergroup Anxieties

Prof Doc Thesis

Price, Alessia 2016. Imagined Contact as a Means of Improving Attitudes towards People with Learning Disabilities and Reducing Intergroup Anxieties. Prof Doc Thesis University of East London Psychology

Authors

Price, Alessia

Type

Prof Doc Thesis

Abstract

Background: It is well evidenced that people with learning disabilities areexposed to multiple disadvantages including stigma and discrimination;however, few interventions have been developed to tackle this. The aim of thepresent study was to investigate the effectiveness of an intervention called'imagined contact' as a way to improve attitudes and reduce intergroupanxieties towards people with learning disabilities. This was the first timeimagined contact had been delivered as a face-to-face intervention for thistarget group.Method: University students (N = 107) were randomised to four experimentalconditions (imagined contact condition; imagined contact control condition;educational film condition; and education delivered as text condition).Participants attitudes, anxiety and desire for social distance towards people withlearning disabilities were measured post-intervention and at one-month followup.Results: Imagined contact did not improve attitudes, reduce intergroup anxiety,or reduce participants’ desire for social distance towards people with learningdisabilities, compared to the other experimental conditions. Instead resultsindicated that imagined contact significantly increased participants’ intergroupanxiety towards people with learning disabilities. However, at one-month followupit was found that imagined contact reduced intergroup anxiety and desire forsocial distance.Conclusions: More exploration of the mechanisms of imagined contact areneeded, particularly for highly stigmatised groups, such as people with learningdisabilities, in order for it to be shown to be effective, above and beyondeducational interventions. Due to the small sample size and conveniencesample utilised, the findings in the present study should be viewed primarily aspointers for recommendations for future research.